Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run

35 hours, 101.5 miles, 20,000+ ft of elevation gain…………..A taste of heaven, a glimpse of hell

Two weekends ago, Kasia and I both completed the TRT100 race.  It was the most difficult physical activity we both have ever done.  It was brutal!!!  The training leading up to the race was immense, including a lot of travel and time.  But in the end it was all worth it, and I will always look back on this moment as one of my most proudest.  Not only for myself, but also for my wife Kasia.

My wife is amazing and without her this would have probably not have been possible.  From her relentless drive to make things happen, all the planning, reservations, early wake ups, and finally talking me off a ledge at 11PM when I wanted to quit during the race in the middle of nowhere in the darkness……thank you!!!  Here is how it all went down.

Last December Kasia and I both ran the North Face 50 miler.  It was an amazing experience, one I will never forget.   Then we ran the PCT 50 miler this past winter.  Both races cemented in my mind that one day I wanted run a 100 mile race.  A friend of ours ran her first 100 last year in Tahoe and had spoken about it a couple times with us.  Growing up near Tahoe really instilled in me a love for the mountains.  Running on single track in the high mountains is one of my favorite things to do…..period!!!!   Western States is another 100 miler I would like to run someday but it was not available for registration at the time we decided to do this.  We entered the lottery for the TRT100 and received an email on New Year’s eve that we had both been selected as part of their yearly lottery.  We were stoked!  Now, time to train.  We spent 6 months training for this and it was tough getting those miles in week after week, but we pushed through it and now it was time to go!

The time leading up to big races is agonizing.  The suspense or jitters drive me nuts but I love it.  Can’t seem to get enough.  Love the uncomfortableness about it.   We packed up our big duffle bag with the essentials like running shoes, trekking poles, nutrition, clothes, bug wipes, sunscreen, sunglasses, changes of more clothes, ponchos, batteries, extra light, etc.   It felt great to arrive in Tahoe, something about it makes me feel at home.  I could not think of a better place to race my first 100 miler.

2:45AM Saturday - Alarm goes off.  Slept about 4-5 hours. 

Slept like crap.  Wish I could have had more rest. I never sleep really good before a big endurance event but who cares.  Let’s rock!.  Woke up quickly and jumped out of bed.  Made some breakfast and hit the road.  We stayed in Heavenly NV so the drive was about 30 minutes to Spooner Lake in the morning.  We got to parking lot and walked to the start because the shuttles were lagging.  

What do you think of right before you run 100 miles?  The journey leading up to this moment?  The miles that lay ahead of us?  I looked at my wife and thought of all the times we had spent preparing for this day and smiled at her.  I was stoked as hell to be there with her in the moment at 5AM in the dark with 200+ other crazy people. 

And it started………… running early morning is great.  For all that do it, you know…….for those that don’t…………..yet……………you should try it.   Sunset in reverse.  I wasn’t thinking at the time that later that day I would be in the same spot wet and cold watching the sunset……  but for now it was morning and everyone was off.

We had decided prior to the run that we would not run this one together.  We wanted to see how well we could do on our own and knew we would hit our lows at different times, so we didn’t want to slow each other down.  Kasia had speed that morning up hills and wanted to pass people.  We started out together and because we had to run 101.5 miles I thought I would hang with her for a while.  We were in the first aid station Hobart (my favorite) before we knew it.  After thi,s the views from near Marlette Peak were inspirational.

I left Kasia at this point and headed out to run my own race.  Little did I know our paths would soon cross again.  Tunnel Creek is an aid station you hit 6 times throughout the race.  I fueled up and headed down for a big descent to Red House.   This is a steep trail and the downhill can take a toll on your quads if you aren’t careful.  Hit the bottom feeling good, then the aid station, and then the climb out.  At the top a familiar voice say’s hi.  It is Kasia.  She was climbing fast.  Back together again.   We hit the Tunnel Creek aid station again then out for the least favorite part of the course for me – Diamond Peak.  Long descent, single track……to a ski resort….then straight back up a black diamond ski run.   Super gnarly…..straight up….I mean straight up.  To think I would have to do this a second time later. Loco!

This was my low point for the race.  I ran out of water on the descent to the Diamond Peak aid station.  Got there and pounded 3 liters of electrolyte drink and a bunch of food.   I felt nauseous but I knew I needed the nutrition.   It sucked but I got back up and made the decision to move on.  As we left the aid station I wondered what time I would be back there, it would be at mile 80 the second time around. 

Next thing I know Kasia drops me like there is no tomorrow.  I watched her disappear up the insanely steep face.   She was passing everyone.  I was proud but bummed I could not keep up with her.  In every training run to date she had never dropped me.  This was the first time.  I was bummed, but hung in there and set my own pace as fast as I could and before I knew it I was at the top.  Time to get some more water and try to salvage this thing…..I walked the next 3 miles to Tunnel Creek.  Bummed to do so but I kept fueling on potato chips, chocolate and H20  until I got back to Tunnel Creek.   Grabbed my drop bag I had dropped off the day earlier and started pounding nutrition.  The powerbar fruit squeeze things tasted the best so I slammed two of those and the grabbed some red licorice.  Then, I headed out after refilling my camelback with electrolytes.

I was starting to feel better……..started charging at 35 miles.  I could run again.  My stomach had been bugging me since the start but I finally felt a little better.   I started to wonder where Kasia was and if I would see her again.  Storm clouds were starting to build in the distance.  Temperature was also dropping.

The snow valley part of the course is my favorite.  Blue flowers line the single track and there are no trees so the views are plentiful.  I was picking people off person by person hoping I would see Kasia again.  I missed her and wanted to see her.  I knew the next aid station was close.  When I hit the SV aid station I asked them where #22 was (her race number).   Their response……..4 minutes ahead of you.  I last saw Kasia at 31 miles.   It was now mile 43.  She was 4 minutes ahead of me.  Thank god she descends slowly and carefully……I knew I would catch her at this point and was excited to see her.   Big boost!  Any boosts are good in a 100 mile race.  You cannot have enough of them no matter what they are, why or when they happen….but they are always good.

Minutes later I can see her running ahead.  I run up on behind her and said hi.  She was excited to see me….worried because she knew she left me feeling not so good at Diamond Peak. Back together again after hours apart.  What would happen next……well of course a little rain wouldn’t hurt anyone.  It rained every night we were in Tahoe and race day was no exception.  Thunderstorm and lightning kind of rain.  So it started to dump and it did so all the way to the half way 50 mile point where it let up for the day and the fun really began.  Those cheap $1.99 ponchos from Target saved us.

50 miles was the farthest Kasia and I had ever traveled by foot before this day.  We left the half way transition area after 15 minutes or so into uncharted territory.  The 50 mile aid station had Quesadillas which really hit the spot.  It was damp in the forest and I felt wet.  We had a 6 mile uphill climb until some dry clothes.  This was going to suck.  Because Kasia was feeling way better than I was (upset stomach) she was way faster uphill.  I feel bad because I know I slowed her down but we hiked into sunset together up to Marlette Lake and then Hobart aid station.  It was sunset and I was putting on dry clothes (big boost).  For now I felt good to be dry.  Re-energized, we left Hobart and entered the darkness. 

Headlamps on, we made our way over the Marlette Peak area.  I remembered how beautiful it was earlier that day.   Keep going, I said to myself and pushed on through nearing 10 PM.  Off in the distance we can hear Tunnel Creek’s music.  Why does it always seem to take forever to descend some trails??????   This was one of them.  This was where Kasia had to talk me off a couple of ledges.  I would be lying to you if I said I never thought about or talked about quitting.  I was having my really low point questioning my sanity.  But Kasia quickly reminded me of all time and effort we had put into this day.  Pain sucks but eventually it will subside, if we quit it would last forever.  I did not want to remember the TRT and think about what I could have done.  So I made a decision at that point that I would not stop until they pulled me off the course or I could no longer physically move forward.  I can see how a pacer could really help in a 100 miler.   Having someone there fresh that can really help motivate you would be helpful.    But we had each other and Kasia was not experiencing a low yet, so she helped me find my motivation.  Thanks again Kasia. 

The big Red House descent was next but we weren't really that tired yet.  Steep descent sucked in the dark. Got to the aid station around 1AM.  Crazy……volunteers helping us in their PJs……..making this stuff happen.   Without them none of this would be possible.  Left there together and at this point it felt pretty good to stick together through the darkness.  I wanted to protect her and make her feel safe.  She was starting to get tired and so was I.  At this point, I knew I would hang with her for the remainder of the race and we would finish this experience together.   We had trained together, traveled together, left each other during the run but rejoined again.  We had done our first 50 miler together and it looked like we would do our first 100 miler together.  Memories for a lifetime.

We hit Diamond Peak Aid station and the base of the big uphill at dawn.  Just yesterday I felt really sick at this aid station.   I had been dreading this part of the course all night but we were finally here and we were ready.   Let’s get this thing done.  After some pancakes and coffee (that’s right) we embarked.  It was (brutal * brutal)^2.  It sucked.  Step, rest, more steps, rest, step…rest…step…rest…I felt like I was climbing Everest.  An hour later and that hill was behind us forever.   Thank god it was morning and cool.

Sunrise brings energy but also hallucinations…. Both Kasia and I thought we saw rain but it wasn't raining.  Strange things happen when you don’t sleep.  Storm clouds were in the distance but no rain yet.  One thing I have learned in the mountains is when storm clouds are present at dawn you are in for a wet day.  Before we knew it we were back to Tunnel Creek for the last time and the best aid station and best part of the course were ahead of us.  Hobart aid station rocked but it didn't have the magic it did when it was dark. Aid stations in the dark are cool.   Out of nowhere you have light, people, and lots of snacks, a welcome sight in the darkness. Now it was light and it was just a boring old aid station.  Sorry Hobart….I love you.

10 miles to go.   90 behind us.  Well above the cutoff time.  Kasia cannot run downhill anymore…..I can….who cares.   We are going to finish this thing together.  The next 10 miles sucked bad.  Every step I could feel blisters and really tired legs.  I was tired.  But nothing was going to stop us from finishing. 

32 hours 53 minutes after starting and with no sleep, we finished.  I did not get the endorphin rush I have gotten before at other races.  I was just glad to be done.   101.5 miles behind us.  After a couple of beers and a burrito it started to rain.  It rained harder than it had all week.  Reports said it rained 3.9 inches per hour.  We wanted our finishers buckles but the rain never let up.  Before I knew it Kasia was shivering and I knew we had to get out of there.  After talking with the race director we left with no buckles.  They had to shut down the timing system and stop engraving buckles due to the rain.  He said they would mail them out to all the finishers once they figured things out.  Headed back to the condo and crashed.

Here is a TRT video shot this year -  https://vimeo.com/101745531  Keep an eye out at 5:36 minutes for me & Kasia finishing and still jogging after 101.5 miles

100 mile run is no joke.  It was brutal.  This distance is hard for everyone and I think everyone that finishes the race in Tahoe has to overcome some serious challenges inside their head.  But if you silence the voices and keep moving you can do it.  I think no matter what I do to prepare for 100 mile races, it will always be a demanding challenge.  I will be in no hurry to sign up for another 100 miler any time soon but when I am ready to really test myself and my limits, I will be back for more.

In the meantime, I am excited to race Malibu Olympic Tri this September and then finish it off with the World Championships of the World (AKA Mission Bay Sprint).

And the belt buckles finally arrived in the mail……..